The lady on the right in this photo is Harriet Begala. She was a friend of our family for about as long as I could remember. She was someone who I regarded as an indominable spirit, a force of nature, someone who rarely took "no" for an answer when she wanted to right a wrong. She was a staunch advocate for social justice, the environment and giving voice to the voiceless. I had the honor to work with her in the ill fated McGovern Presidential campaign back in 1972. I was only 15, too young to vote, but committeed to seeing a Democrat win back the White House, but alas, as we all know, Nixon won by a landslide, thoroughy crushing McGovern. It was a major blow to me since I had devoted so much time and energy to that campaign and I felt cynical and angry at politics for quite a while afterward, especially after the whole Watergate affair erupted. Even seeing Nixon brought down and forced to resign didn't lessen my anger and frustration with things, but Harriet was someone who always told people to never give up, to fight the good fight and to keep on working for the greater good. She was one of the single most amazing people it has been my privilege to know in my life, and sadly, she left us at age 90 yesterday after a long decline. Her likes will not be seen again. She dominated any room she was in. She seemed like an indestructable force, someone who would go on and on and on forever, but alas, even the strongest among us eventually fade. I will miss this great lady and the influence she had on my life. The lessons she taught me will remain with me forever, to stand your ground, to fight for what you believe in, no matter how futile the cause may seem at the time, and never to give up. I'm eternally grateful that our paths crossed, that I had the chance to know her and her family, and to learn and grow from the experience I had working with her on that long ago ill fated campaign. I've learned that politics isn't always fair, that sometimes it gets ugly, but you've got to keep on going, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep fighting the battles that do the greatest good for the most people, no matter how hard, no matter how tough, no matter how painful. Some things are just worth fighting for, Harriet taught me. Thank you, great lady, for being someone whose influence remains with me to this day and always will. Your legacy has been firmly cemented in the hearts of all the lives you touched throughout the decades.
Monday, July 11, 2011
The passing of a great lady
The lady on the right in this photo is Harriet Begala. She was a friend of our family for about as long as I could remember. She was someone who I regarded as an indominable spirit, a force of nature, someone who rarely took "no" for an answer when she wanted to right a wrong. She was a staunch advocate for social justice, the environment and giving voice to the voiceless. I had the honor to work with her in the ill fated McGovern Presidential campaign back in 1972. I was only 15, too young to vote, but committeed to seeing a Democrat win back the White House, but alas, as we all know, Nixon won by a landslide, thoroughy crushing McGovern. It was a major blow to me since I had devoted so much time and energy to that campaign and I felt cynical and angry at politics for quite a while afterward, especially after the whole Watergate affair erupted. Even seeing Nixon brought down and forced to resign didn't lessen my anger and frustration with things, but Harriet was someone who always told people to never give up, to fight the good fight and to keep on working for the greater good. She was one of the single most amazing people it has been my privilege to know in my life, and sadly, she left us at age 90 yesterday after a long decline. Her likes will not be seen again. She dominated any room she was in. She seemed like an indestructable force, someone who would go on and on and on forever, but alas, even the strongest among us eventually fade. I will miss this great lady and the influence she had on my life. The lessons she taught me will remain with me forever, to stand your ground, to fight for what you believe in, no matter how futile the cause may seem at the time, and never to give up. I'm eternally grateful that our paths crossed, that I had the chance to know her and her family, and to learn and grow from the experience I had working with her on that long ago ill fated campaign. I've learned that politics isn't always fair, that sometimes it gets ugly, but you've got to keep on going, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep fighting the battles that do the greatest good for the most people, no matter how hard, no matter how tough, no matter how painful. Some things are just worth fighting for, Harriet taught me. Thank you, great lady, for being someone whose influence remains with me to this day and always will. Your legacy has been firmly cemented in the hearts of all the lives you touched throughout the decades.
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1 comment:
Thank you so much for your wonderful tribute to my beloved grandmother. Your statement, "The lessons she taught me will remain with me forever, to stand your ground, to fight for what you believe in, no matter how futile the cause may seem at the time, and never to give up," is one of the most important creeds that she instilled in me from a very young age. We will miss her, but her spirit & legacy will be with us for always.
Best regards,
Signe Begala Jacobson
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